New Whistleblower Alleges Facebook's Criminality, Says She Has 'Blood On Her Hands'

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is definitely not whistling right now. A new face is ready to blow the whistle on Facebook's practices after a bombshell testimony by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen.

Now, Sophie Zhang, who worked as a data scientist at Facebook for almost three years has come forward, claiming she had "blood on her hands".

Associated Press

Whistleblower of the month: Sophie Zhang

Zhang told CNN that she willing to testify before Congress about Facebook, akin to what Haugen did. Last year, Zhang wrote a detailed note after she was fired from Facebook, claiming that the company isn't doing enough to counter hate speech and misinformation, especially in developing countries.

Facebook told Zhang that she was fired due to performance issues. On Sunday, she Tweeted that she had provided "detailed documentation" about criminal violations to a United States law enforcement agency. It appears that the investigation is still underway.

Also read:?A Missing Apostrophe In A Facebook Post Lands An Australian Man In A Defamation Court

A major chunk of Zhang's claims allege that Facebook simply does not do enough in countries outside of North America, even though 90 per cent of its monthly active users come from outside this region.

Xinhua

Unsurprisingly, Facebook does not agree with her claims and in a statement claimed that they have taken down 150 networks that were attempting to spread misinformation in 50 countries since 2017.

For a mammoth platform like Facebook, 150 networks in four years across 50 countries seems underwhelming.

Also read:?Whistleblower Alleges Facebook's Dismal Response To Hate Speech In India

Haugen's testimony to US lawmakers

In her testimony to US Congress, Haugen alleged that Facebook prioritised profit over the well-being of Facebook users, while adding that the attack on facts and the spread of misinformation on the platform could jeopardise democracy itself.

Unsplash

Also read:?Facebook's Loss Was Pornhub's Win

Haugen urged intervention from US government authorities to help Facebook make better decisions when it comes to filtering content on its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp.? She also highlighted how the platforms simply don't do enough to protect teenagers and youngsters.

Is it whistleblower season at Facebook? Let us know what you think about these claims in the comments section below.

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